Discussion
Hi,
I purchased in March a wee 84 XR3i with the purpose of revisiting my youth(?) and reducing the fuel cost of my V8.
The car arrived,it was minted, and has hardly turned a wheel since then as I felt it was too good to use (39k,one owner).I know that's sad.
Anyway, the fuel is still a pisser and I want/need to use the Escort.
Will a 27 year old car literally fall apart in front of my eyes with the winter roads?
It is a MK3 Escort afterall.
What tips can you give?
Is regular washing the sensible answer?
I know to keep the battery tray area as dry as poss.
I don't know if I can be arsed looking at waxoyle(?)etc.
Anyone else use a car this age and in particular a Ford of this era?
Cheers
I purchased in March a wee 84 XR3i with the purpose of revisiting my youth(?) and reducing the fuel cost of my V8.
The car arrived,it was minted, and has hardly turned a wheel since then as I felt it was too good to use (39k,one owner).I know that's sad.
Anyway, the fuel is still a pisser and I want/need to use the Escort.
Will a 27 year old car literally fall apart in front of my eyes with the winter roads?
It is a MK3 Escort afterall.
What tips can you give?
Is regular washing the sensible answer?
I know to keep the battery tray area as dry as poss.
I don't know if I can be arsed looking at waxoyle(?)etc.
Anyone else use a car this age and in particular a Ford of this era?
Cheers
If you want to use an 80s Ford as a daily driver in the winter then you really do need to get some underbody protection on it. If you don't want to do it yourself, there are firms out there that'll underseal/waxoyl your car for you but it'll cost you 300 quid ish to get it done properly.
If you don't want to go down that route, then you'll need to jet wash the underneath and wheel arches of your car every week if you can to get rid of all the salt/grit/mud etc which will allow rust to rapidly set in. Giving the car a good wash on a regular basis followed by a good waxing to protect the paint is also a good idea. Don’t forget that when your car was sold, rust prevention etc was quite low down on the list of Ford’s priorities… hence the relative rarity of MK3 ‘scorts.
Don't take offence at this, but if you say you can't be arsed to get the car properly treated then are you sure that running a 27 year old car is for you? Don't forget that it'll need more general maintenance, tinkering and time spent on it than a modern car will…
In the past I've run a succession of Capri’s as daily drivers (snow, a 2.8 injection Capri and roundabouts are fun!) and had no hassle from them because I spend a lot of time and money keeping them up to scratch – replacing components (especially on the ignition side) BEFORE they go wrong is the key to running a classic on a daily basis IMO.
As you've got what sounds like a nice car in good condition with very low miles on it; it'd be a real shame to let winter usage take its toll when a bit of time and money invested now could really go a long way to preserving the car.
Cheers for that.
I guess the "can't be arsed" really meant that I didn't want the expense of the waxoyle if it cost the several hundreds that you intimated.
It would take probably a good ten or so weeks to recoup that expense via the petrol saving and meantime, potential damage is being done.
Looks like the Escort stays in the garage and only comes out when the sunshines.
I guess the "can't be arsed" really meant that I didn't want the expense of the waxoyle if it cost the several hundreds that you intimated.
It would take probably a good ten or so weeks to recoup that expense via the petrol saving and meantime, potential damage is being done.
Looks like the Escort stays in the garage and only comes out when the sunshines.
jq3104 said:
Cheers for that.
I guess the "can't be arsed" really meant that I didn't want the expense of the waxoyle if it cost the several hundreds that you intimated.
It would take probably a good ten or so weeks to recoup that expense via the petrol saving and meantime, potential damage is being done.
Looks like the Escort stays in the garage and only comes out when the sunshines.
Why don't you have a go at rust-proofing the car yourself and save some valuable petrol/beer money?I guess the "can't be arsed" really meant that I didn't want the expense of the waxoyle if it cost the several hundreds that you intimated.
It would take probably a good ten or so weeks to recoup that expense via the petrol saving and meantime, potential damage is being done.
Looks like the Escort stays in the garage and only comes out when the sunshines.
If you got a set of ramps or some axle stands it's not a hard job... just a bit messy!
Clean up all the really vulnerable areas (sills, wheelarches etc) with a wire brush and then brush a load of waxoyl/underseal on. You can get spray cans of wax with long nozzles (ooerr missus) that allow you to get the wax inside of box sections such as sills - they're also great for the inside of doors and bonnet. 70 quid and a weekend’s work will see your car right.
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